Ο
κρατήρας που μοιάζει με πεταλούδα - αν
και θα μπορούσε κάποιος να πει ότι
θυμίζει και αράχνη. This color image, taken on May 1,
2013 by the Wide Angle Camera (WAC) instrument aboard NASA's
MESSENGER spacecraft orbiting Mercury, features Hovnatanian crater,
named for Armenian painter Hakop Hovnatanian. The crater's elliptical
shape and the bright rays' butterfly pattern indicate that a very
oblique impact produced the crater. The brightness of the rays
indicate that they are relatively young features on Mercury's
surface. This image was acquired as a targeted high-resolution
11-color image set. Acquiring 11-color targets is a new campaign that
began in March, 2013 and that utilizes all of the camera's 11
narrow-band color filters. Because of the large data volume involved,
only features of special scientific interest are targeted for imaging
in all 11 colors. The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit
the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments
and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and
evolution of the solar system's innermost planet. MESSENGER has
acquired over 150,000 images and extensive other data sets, and is
capable of continuing orbital operations until early 2015. Image
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Το
διαστημικό σκάφος Messenger που βρίσκεται
σε τροχιά γύρω από τον Ερμή και τον
εξερευνά κατέγραψε εντυπωσιακές εικόνες
από την επιφάνειά του. Η πιο εντυπωσιακή
είναι αυτή που κατέγραψε με την κάμερα
WAC πριν από 24 ώρες (1 Αυγούστου) από τον
κρατήρα Hovnatanian. Ο κρατήρας διαθέτει
γεωλογικά χαρακτηριστικά όπως μεγάλες
ακτίνες που πιθανότατα δημιουργήθηκαν
από την πτώση διαστημικών σωμάτων.
Eyes,
Hakob Hovnatanyan (1806—1881)
Η
έντονη φωτεινότητα των ακτίνων είναι
ένδειξη ότι δημιουργήθηκαν σχετικά
πρόσφατα, γεγονός που σημαίνει ότι στην
επιφάνεια του πλανήτη υπάρχουν νεαρής
ηλικίας σχηματισμοί και δομές. Το
ελλειπτικό σχήμα του κρατήρα και η
φωτεινότητα των ακτίνων έκαναν τους
επιστήμονες της NASA που είδαν τις εικόνες
να δηλώσουν ότι τους θυμίζουν μια…
πεταλούδα.
E.
D. Rotinova-Gurgenbekyan by Hakob Hovnatanyan (1840-1850)
Ο
κρατήρας φέρει το όνομα του αρμένιου
ζωγράφου Χάκομπ Χοβτανάνιαν.
Hakob
Hovnatanyan was born in 1806 into the Hovnatanyan family of painters
that included five generations of artists from the 17th to the 19th
centuries. Hakob was a representative of the last generation of the
Hovnatanyan painter, learning the arts from his father (an icon
painter). The family descended from Shorot village, in Nakhichevan
(old Armenia). Hakob himself was born in the old Tiflis but was
forced to move to Iran where he stayed till his death in 1881. More
than fifty of the artist’s portraits painted from the late 1820′s
and the early 30′s down to the 70′s, have been preserved. Hakob
Hovnatanian achieved an accomplished technique as a portraitist in
the 40′s and particularly the 50′s.The artist had acquired
widespread fame but rather short-lived success with clients among the
Tiflis bourgeoisie. Hakob Hovnatanyan’s artwork was well forgotten
after he died. Only when Armenia became a more established state did
his canvases start showing up in the collections of the State Art
Gallery of Armenia in Yerevan and the Fine Arts Museum of Georgia.
Hakob Hovnatanyan’s work is profoundly national and at the same
time has its individual profile. inspired by his work the critically
acclaimed Armenian art film director (Sergei Parajanov) made a short
film based on his work entitled Hakob Hovnatanyan.